As Lam pondered how to come up with the money for her father’s surgery and the family’s daily expenses, she was approached by Madame H, who ran a local matchmaking service. She told Lam that a wealthy foreign man was looking for a wife and Lam matched his description perfectly. Madame H promised her a hefty sum of money–one that would be large enough to cover her father’s medical expenses as well as her brothers’ education.

At first, Lam flatly refused Madame H’s offer. She would rather kill herself than to make such a unprincipled choice. But as the bills were piling up and her father’s condition worsened, the offer was once again on her mind. Lam had been stricken by poverty all her life. She did not want to see her brothers dropping out of school and living the rest of their lives in poverty. She did not want to see her father dying the same way her mother did, because of the lack of treatment. She wanted a better future for all, and so she agreed.

After a long flight to her husband’s country, Lam was able to meet him for the first time. He was exactly what she envisioned. The guy was a pale-looking man in his late forties, repulsive and partly crippled. Although she did not love him, she was determined to be a good and faithful wife.

Click the tag “Trapped” to read previous and future entries of this story.

Lam (trans. Indigo) was the eldest of three siblings. Her family lived in a small farm that had been passed down through generations. Life had been especially hard for Lam and her family. When she was just 8 years old, her mother died from snakebites while working in the field. By 11, Lam had to drop out of school to help out on the farm. Despite the hard work, she insisted that her two brothers stay in school. “Our family’s future depends on you,” she said.

Misfortunes, however, never seemed to cease. A long drought, coupled with unusually cold weather, severely crippled crops and depleted the family’s savings. But the most severe blow would come in the news of her father’s cancer. The cancer had reached a late stage and surgery was required. Unfortunately, Lam’s family did not have the means to pay for such expensive treatment.

Five long hours had passed, but there was still no sight of her loved ones. The once crowded lobby area was now dreadfully empty. Melissa, however, continued to persist; her eyes remained affixed to the lobby entrance. Unfortunately, none of her loved ones would show up on that day. She had been all but forgotten.

Even with help from her elderly parents (who flew in from another state to be with her), adjusting to a world twenty five years past her time was a real challenge. Technology had advanced so much from her days. The once open fields were now filled with homes and businesses. Melissa felt like a lost bird in a unfamiliar environment.

As she wandered her old neighborhood, nostalgia led her back to the exact spot where the accident happened; she was overwhelmed with emotions. She started to question her very existence in this strange and unforgiving world. Mentally exhausted, Melissa collapsed. As she was lying on the ground, images of her loved ones (before the accident) were once again flashing in front of her. To this, she smiled –- relishing the moment. She wished it would never end.

It was a typical day at the town’s main medical facility. A young nurse was checking on every room in the hospital to make sure everything was in place. While checking on the patients, she detected visible movements in a patient named Melissa -– a woman who had been in a coma for nearly 25 years. Within minutes, the room was filled with doctors and nurses. It was not long before the local TV crew was present at the hospital, reporting on this phenomenon.

After a year of rehabilitation, Melissa had mostly recovered from her conditions. Her prognosis was quite good; she was scheduled to be released from the hospital. As she sat in the lobby waiting to reunite with her family, many wonderful things were on her mind. She wondered what had become of her loved ones after 25 years.

“Tom must have remarried by now and is living a happy life. My two children must have all grown up and become successful individuals.”

From the beginning of time, human has developed an ardent desire to be able to foresee or predict the future. Works of sci-fic genre and concepts such as “time travel” and “time machine” are quite prominent in popular culture. It’s human nature after all to be curious about everything around us. I cannot tell you how many times I wish I could fast-forward time to see what will become of me ten years from now. But then again, it might not turn out to be what I have hoped.

~~~

Melissa was the most attractive girl in town. Suitors were literally lining up to ask for her hand in marriage. In the end, she decided to marry her high school sweetheart Tom. For ten years, their marriage was the envy of the town; their love seemed to have withstood the test of time. The couple had two lovely children together. Melissa’s life was nothing short of perfection, until tragedy struck.

Melissa was on her way home from the grocery store one day when she was struck by an out-of-control vehicle. The impact was so strong that it sent her body flying through the air. As her body was flying, time appeared to have come to a standstill. Images of her loved ones were flashing in front of her. She wanted to reach out to grab hold of these precious memories, but couldn’t. Melissa’s body plunged onto the rugged walkway. Within minutes, she lost consciousness.